Key members of the panel that advised the government on a new planning system have called for an urgent meeting with planning minister Kevin Stewart after warning that the Planning (Scotland) Bill was heading for disaster.

There are some ‘useful’ measures in the Spring Statement, the RTPI said, but nothing that would alleviate the worry about local authority finances and therefore help to deliver more affordable housing.

Views on a proposed national long-term investment bank are being sought by the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee as part of its consideration of the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) Bill.

The Inchgreen Dry Dock in Greenock, Inverclyde – Scotland’s largest mainland dry dock – has lain empty for nearly 20 years and should be transformed into a shipyard for building new ferries, campaigners have urged.

Plans for the restoration and redevelopment of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, which would involve seven new and three refurbished buildings across two sites, have been submitted to the city council.